I'm sitting here actually trying to link "Portrait of My Body" and "Why We Crave Horror Movies." Sober. I think I've got it, but it all seems a bit too strange for a blog, or for sharing, or for thinking even. I wonder if several of us were pulled in easily to "Portrait" simply because we wanted to connect to it somehow, have the scars made beautiful or the imperfections justifiable. What a jolt those of us must have had when it all went wrong halfway in and our tender author betrayed us, made it a bit uncomfortable, and stank up the room. I wondered the same thing halfway through King's piece. It was all fine and good until he started saying things like "we" and "madman," and sheesh, so close together like that?
Which brings me to another bit of a loser supposition: what if certain folks are right? What if there is no "true" us, only the performer on paper? What if we cannot escape him/her simply because we (the reader) are the intended audience for us (the writer) and, here's the kicker, we know what we cannot bear to hear? Then, riddle me this Batman, is there any point at all to this academic, masturbatory, narcissistic exercise called writing?
Come on. You didn't think I was that innocent, did you?
Let's try something here. Portrait # One:
Long fingers. Granma loved them, called them piano chasers. (And they were, years ago, chasers along porcelain sound). Here, a sliver of a scar in the shape of the glass that sliced it, either side of my middle right knuckle. Hands just beginning to crepe up a bit after years of washing dishes, cleaning houses, working dirt. They held babies and stroked hair and clasped others and enunciated sentences. Married by joints that ache when it's going to rain and sometimes just because. They were the prettiest thing I had and are now the most belligerent sign of my wisdom. The left one bears a wedding ring so heavy that it has left a permanent, soft dent. I find comfort in them, the bones and the thinning skin that are the closet thing to my writing, my history, my life. My hands.
Sookay. Now. Portrait # Two:
Cuticles long scarred by permanent teeth, ripped and bit and torn until they bled. I curl the tips under to hide the flesh when I pay in cash, cut the nails to cripple their chances of self-mutilation. Veiny and branded by a drop of velvety hot grease -- a moment of self-defense against someone I loved. Fingers so long that they will have no choice but to become claws in the next two decades, bony things that held cigarettes and formed obscene gestures and slapped a friend once in a drunken rage. I am terrified of these appendages for they just might one day turn on the rest of me in jointy glee. Premeditated. Justifiable handocide. My hands.
Saalright. Pick one. Which portrait is true? Why, both, of course. And neither. Somewhere in the middle. Whatever I choose to remember or believe or tell. I think that may be the point, after all: to tell the truth, but to tell it slant (English majors, unite). Tell it ugly, sometimes, otherwise the writer in you will call bullshit on the whole sweet thing.
And for reasons beyond my own understanding this morning, the following verse just came into my head:
Would you believe in a love at first sight? Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time. What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.
KPD
Everyone lays claim to their own insanity. Our reason triumphs over our weird, dirty, quirky, insane thoughts everyday. We don't blurt them out or share them with others because we KNOW how weird or abnormal they actually are. This is us discretely acknowledging the existence of our own insanity. Many of us embrace it without letting anyone else touch it.
ReplyDeleteOur insanity is also what makes us unique. It's what differs us from others. Our thought process, actions, habits, perceptions. I embrace my insanity everyday, but am I going to fill you in on this exchange? NO FREAKING WAY.
Every single person has at least one thought that society as a whole would consider "crazy". Every sing person has at least one thought that would make at least one other person wonder if there was a soul to accompany that thought. This is why we hide. Not behind our insanity, no no no. We push it down, waaaaay down. We only stop to look at it and spend time with it in our own heads, for fear that the rest of the world would stop to look at you if you let it get out.
Insanity. What a negative connotation, right? Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to be insane! Maybe that's why I am wiggling around the fact that we all might be a bit insane. I am a very optimistic, and happy person 99% of the time, and I'm pretty sure there's just not a sinister bone in my body. I've always had a heart for people and would probably never think about anything disturbing or horror-movieish on my own. However, you have to realize this is coming from the girl who never could finish watching Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer as a child because she cried hysterically since no one would play with Rudolph. I love people too much to see the worst in them, and that's literally a trait I think I was born with. I am a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda girl, and this whole insanity thing doesn't fit in well with that. Maybe I have ignored it too much...maybe I should feel a little insane...? Maybe I just don't get this idea...or maybe everyone else kinda wants to be insane and I just want be me?
ReplyDeleteI dont think King understands the severity of the word insanity.
ReplyDeleteIve seen people that are insane, and its scary. And for him to say insane because an occasional sick joke and enjoying a horror movie just shows that he doesnt understand what insanity means.
Yes, the ocasional jokes and the craving of horror movies happens to most people, but does that indicate insanity? Hell no.
By saying activities such as horror movies and sick jokes are "insane" is saying that they are wrong, and therefore leads to the question of morality
Whats right and whats wrong?
The subject in hand in itself is subjective.
Who is King to say that watching a horror movie is wrong?
But who am I to say that it is right?
King has no grounds to stand on.
His premises include subjectivity therefore his whole argument becomes invalid.
Back to King's point on being different.
Yes we are individually unique and special,
but definitely not insane
The word "insane" is a very strong word in today's society and has what we would call a negative connotation... wouldn't you say? The definition of insanity is (the derangement of the mind and its utter senselessness) and the definition of derange is (to disturb the condition, action, or function of). Well in saying that, it can be inferred that weird, different, and not to mention senseless are synonyms of "insane" or "insanity". So therefore people like me could be considered insane...wait what? ya, thats right. Im insane. I'm weird, extremely different, and my minds pretty senseless... but don't under estimate it.
ReplyDeleteWhere I'm headed with all this, is that its not totally bad to be "insane". The only issue with being associated with that word is...US. Yep, us... As a society we are known for taking words and changing them as years pass by. Examples- fag,fuck,retard,and gay. So to make the statement that we all have insanity in us, is correct. 100% correct. Most of us show our insanity more than we know.
When responding to the ideas brought up in Stephen Kings article I would have to agree. Sick Jokes= senselessness...craving horror movies= also senselessness... really it is! Think about it. You watch a movie that scares the ever living shit out of you...and you like it?! Thats about as "weird" as it is senseless. Why put yourself through having to change your pants halfway through the movie? Thats absurd. People, we can't beat it. It's a fact. We are all insane and we will deny it for as long as we keep a negative connotation on the word.
“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people is suffering from a mental illness. Look at your 3 best friends. If they're ok, then it's you.” - Rita Mae Brown
I am without a doubt insane. The iner-mechanations of my mind are to forever remain an enigma to those unadapted to perceive its logical incongruity.
ReplyDeleteThen again, we can all make ourselves sound insane, right? I can say things like "goomba goomba fledge" randomly throughout the day and logically everyone would assume I was insane, because of the utter randomness of the words. But am I? Surely merely putting on the act of insanity makes one insane! And I play the fool like no other.
I love playing the fool! Life is so much more fun when everyone assumes you know less than you do, because then they aren't afraid of you. Not that anyone should be afraid of me! I'm just thinking out loud here. But think about it, what makes us insane? What really makes someone crazy? There was a girl in my grade in high school who had a medical condition where she desired attention so much that she would actually pretend to have a mental disability just to get attention. And it worked! For four years she pretended to be mentally disabled, and I decided that if she was going to put up that mach of an act, she wasn't pretending anymore. If you pretend long enough, you begin to believe it yourself. The lie becomes your reality.
I think there is a difference in insane and weird. Yes the insane are weird, but I don't think the weird are insane (as much as they believe they are). People have their quirks, and that is perfectly normal. It's but a misconception that quirks make you insane.
ReplyDeleteNormalacy doesn't really exist. It's something that other people create to make themselves feel better about their insecurities. They try to make themselves seem "normal" and others seem strange. Like I mentioned before: EVERYONE HAS THEIR QUIRKS. Everyone has at least one thing that separates them from the next person.
I'm not really sure where im going with this or even if I'm trying to make a certain point (it feels like im going in circles to be honest). I guess what I'm trying to say is to be yourself and to not let anyone tell you you're "weird" or "insane" because you could probably say the same thing about them.
Remember, EVERYONE has their quirks, and THAT is what makes us each a little bit insane.
Insanity is a difficult word to describe. There are so many levels. That being said, I think everyone is insane in their own right. Every person has the moment of going “crazy.” That moment when friends or family look at you like, in that moment, you are a completely different person. I feel like this a lot. I am very shy and quiet around people I don’t know. I hate confrontations and will do everything in my power to avoid them. I say things that people want to hear and hope that they will be happy with what I say and drop their conflict. But inside my head I play a whole different situation. The internal situation is me saying how I feel and confronting people and saying everything that I feel. After the conflict has been dropped, my mind races with everything that could have happened differently. My mind screams at me to say something and do something. And like Bruce Banner trying to keep the Hulk inside, I keep my emotions in check and count to ten and try not to scream what I want to say. I totally believe that there is an “insane” person in all of us. Like King said, for some of us the insane person is easy to see and that is why they are in asylums. And for the rest of us, we just hide it better.
ReplyDeleteLife is ruthless.
ReplyDeleteLife takes no prisoners.
Life will go for your throat.
So why is it that we love to watch it go for other people's? We sit around and scream, in the safety of our homes, as people run for their lives. We take joy in the crappy writing and the terrible acting that comes with some of the best scary movies that Hollywood has to offer. We can't predict our own short-comings, so the more predictable these horror movies are, the better. And if there is a twist in there, great, they probably deserved that bash in the head.
The characters in these movie all have a classic personality: your boyfriend's dumb sister, your annoying co-worker, and when they get slaughtered, it's for everyone's own good. Not to say you want your co-worker dead, but you wouldn't mind if her nail-biting was put through the meat-grinder.
That seems so inhumane, though. "What kind of sick mind comes up with that?" Doesn't yours? Doesn't everyone's? There comes a point in everyone's lives where they are so mad at someone they can't help but picture them falling off of a cliff. But if that happens to everyone at some point, then who has seen me being hit by a car? Mauled by a tiger? Yes, I have to come to terms with the fact that I am included when I say that no one is normal.
No one is normal, no one is safe. And thinking that you are normal, does not make you any more safe. We all have an expiration date, and it's the most uncontrollable thing in our whole lives, so, of course, we are fascinated with it. How will it happen? How will others try to avoid it?
Let's watch.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That is the definition of insanity. Think about what that really means. Doing the same thing over and over again. Don't we do that everyday? I mean we wake up every morning take a shower, get dressed, go to class, eat lunch, go back to class, do homework, eat supper, do more homework, go to bed, and then do the SAME thing the next day. The question is do we expect different results every day? Honestly, I think most of us expect the same results every day. I think we are content with our lives and are afraid of having a curveball thrown into our daily schedule. Well at least I know I am content with my daily schedule. So since I expect the same results everyday does that not make me insane? That's a matter of opinion. Some might consider me insane because I like keeping things the same, but others might see things my way. Everyone in this world is different and unique in their own ways, which gives each person an equal chance to be seen as insane by another person. Even though certain people are defined as insane by society that doesn't mean everyone in this world sees them as insane. The human race is the most complex living creature in the world so we are bound to all have a little insanity in each of our DNAs.
ReplyDeleteInsane. Mentally deranged. Not sound of mind.
ReplyDeleteThe word is harsh. Upon first glance, I laughed. We aren't all insane. Yeah, maybe a little off... a little bit weird. At least every single one of my friends would say that about me if you asked them. But there's a difference between insane and weird. Insane is how you describe people who run around on murder rampages... not the average human being.
However, after thinking about it for a bit, I see where King is coming from. We are somewhat mentally deranged. I mean who takes pleasure in watching horror movies? That's NOT normal. That's way off. There is surely something mentally deranged about taking pleasure in watching people die a violent death.
But I think of how many people have brought up the idea of watching some sort of horror movie, and I know that almost anyone would be willing to do it. More than willing, but excited!
We enjoy the sense of control we have in watching a horror movie. We know it isn't real. These aren't real people suffering. That would never ACTUALLY happen.
There. We justified it. The insanity, I mean. We have a right to be insane because nothing that takes place in a horror movie has any chance of happening.
Or so we think.
People are murdered. People die violent deaths. Horror movies aren't so unrealistic after all. Yet, we still find pleasure in viewing them.
And that's what makes us insane.
As I look at my hands, I can't help but think of the infinite ways they perfectly illustrate who I am. First and foremost, they are soft... not because I put lotion on them everyday or I get manicures all the time (actually I hate getting manicures). They illustrate my kind heart and my sensitivity. My fingers are long and strong after playing piano for so many years. My fingertips are round and my nails are short. I always cut my nails short because it feels gross when they are long. The border where my nails touch my cuticle is pink with nail polish I wasn't able to remove after trying... yet again... to have pretty painted nails. That just shows my inner tomboy, which is who I am to this day. Colored nails, while pretty on other people... on my hands just distract me. Every time I hold a pencil in my hand, I think of the countless hours I spent in high school art classes, drawing a still life of my hand while holding a pencil... then try to remember why I didn't go to art school. I think to myself, 'I could painting and drawing for four years of college." On my right middle finger, I have a lump from gripping pencils too hard. This illustrates my have a strong grip on life and the ones I love.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my scars are made beautiful and my imperfections justifiable. It makes me... ME. Whether that is insane or not. Most people never really get to know the real me... I tend to put up guards and am very reserved and calm (which many mistake as conceited or stuck-up... which is completely untrue). But I feel my hands unveil the "true" me... and not the quiet performer I often appear to be.
I know we are all insane in our own way, but I believe that we have to be in order to deal with things in our everyday lives. I know that I am crazy sometimes, theres things I look back on doing and ask myself what was i thinking. While the article talks more about bodily features that the author wishes to change, I dont normally feel that way. People should be comfortable with who they are. I don't see insanity in the same way as King does. If you see everyone as insane then the definition of insane becomes something totally different. No one can define a normal person because each person has their own sense of normal, even if that means they are somewhat insane.
ReplyDeleteWe believe whatever we tell ourselves to believe. A lie can very easily become the truth over time, repeatedly fooling yourself until you know no different. I can pretend to be happy and mask it with laughter when in actuality I am having a shitty day. We are all insane to think the world is perfect. You are not only bullshitting your friends, you are just covering your eyes from the truth. You can go through life thinking everything is great, or you can think everyone and everything is out to get you and life sucks. And that is the truth, both statements are true but it all just depends on your perception for the day. You can lie to yourself and say you are always happy and choose to ignore the bad, or vise versa. That is life and that is mood swings. We all go through them, some better than others, but the world continues to revolve no matter what. I know I slant my feelings to the outside world; I lie to myself all the time. I never talk about my feelings or emotions to anyone, not everyone myself. I just pretend the feelings are like that creepy doll your grandmother puts in the guest room; feeling uncomfortable as it constantly stares at you while you attempt to ignore it. How are you going to see the day today?
ReplyDelete"There is a thin line between love and insanity."
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blogpost for the second time, it all of a sudden took a new turn. Rubbed me differently. Offered a different outtake on what we consider "insanity."
Shall I mimic the wonderful Dr. P? Sure. =)
Portrait #1:
My grades (is that cheesy?). A not-so-perfect-but-acceptable 3.6 grade point average first semester. An invitation from Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. High praises from friends and family because my mother is extremely elated at the fact that despite all my involvement on campus, I managed to keep my head "above water." After all, my mother figured I would be able to manage because I had done so well in my high school advanced placement college curriculum classes. I managed to cheer, work, be involved, and lead the school as the student body president. Grades.
Not too shabby.
Portrait #2:
GRADES. Nights of hours in the library. All-nighters that I did not even think I could pull. Tears of frustration. Conferences after conferences with professors whose teaching style was something I had never experienced. Between feeding my face and feeding my brain, I was at a point of confusion and exhaustion. How did I manage 4 As and 3 Bs? Only God knows.
Grades...
Honestly, I believe that the way you view a situation defines your view on insanity.
Was I indeed insane for putting in so much work? Or, was it simply the love for my schoolwork?
I would consider it insane, but the way I define insanity is completely different than the way someone else does.
There is a thin like between love and insanity. I believe I walk that line in situations like this.
Were all crazy for damn sure. Everyones a bit nuts that really can't be argued against. It's really just how crazy are you. I know i'm for sure pretty crazy. I'm not going to go kill anyone don't get your hopes up. However, I will pick my scabs though and sometimes my nose. Really, are we crazy though or is our whole society crazy. Just cause majority rules doesn't mean the minority is crazy. Ya it might seem weird to us that some people do things differently from us but it doesn't make them crazy. Just because some one is gay doesn't make them crazy. Their just as normal as any one else, and probably better dressed and better smelling.
ReplyDeleteThis is a slippery slope though I do realize that, because, where do we draw the line on what should be ok or not. Theres no universal moral code. Things could get real fucked up real quick. Some things do need to be labeled crazy but I think we need to be real careful putting labels on things.
I still really didn't enjoy Portrait of My Body. However, as I have more time to digest it I feel like he really does have a valid point. Take a step back and look at yourself for who/what you are. Decide if your happy with it, and if your not you have the power to change. Also, think of the the experiences and events that have shaped your body, your world avatar, and think if it represents you for who you really are.
I know I need a tattoo, so one day i'll look into it, and then maybe my body will represent all the crazy going on in my head.
Our bodies represent us in a way that can be kind of scary. For example, me. I'm little. I've always been. People say I look like my grandmother. But who does my body make me? I like to think that just because I have a little body does not mean I have a little personality. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm much more timid than I put out to be. I like to think that I'm outgoing and fun but that's not always the case- I get scared, nervous, embarrassed, super anxious... and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteWe are who we are because of how we were born and because of how society shapes us. King talked about this in his article and his point is a very valid one. We tend to mold into our community- doing what is socially acceptable and normal. THese social norms dictate our lives changing us into who we become. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just a thought.
So who are we really? Well, that all depends on how we look at ourselves. Who we are is a combination of who we desire to be and who we think we are expected to be. Once we reach a happy median, then we can be happy with ourselves.
everyone has a little bit of craziness to them. and everyone is a little weird no matter how much they try. ill be the first to admit i say some of the weirdest things at the most inappropriate times. i should really learn to think before i speak but thats just asking too much sometimes. ill also admit ive been called insane once or twice... actually just once and it was from a person of the opposite sex. go figure. i personally do not think i am insane.. im like the farthest thing from it. but whatever.. still kinda bitter about that if you cant tell. and dr P, i do the same thing with my nails and cuticles. i bite them till they bleed and i have bandaids on every single finger. lookin like an idiot.
ReplyDeleteanyways.. i like using the periods, if you havent noticed and i like not having to capitalize every word.. i am just lazy and dont feel like doing it. like i cant have a password on my phone cause i just feel like i am gonna explode everytime i put it in.. okay that was off subject, but thats what you like, right? i hope so
every single human being has pretended like they were something that they arent at least once in their life! i know i have, and i know you have. actually i dont know for sure that you have but unless your name is JESUS CHRIST you have. i dont even know what im talking about right now. i hope nobody reads this. everyone probably saw where it was me and was like "oh its just chandler, shes retarded and never understands anything" haha probably not.. i hope not cause we are supposed to be a family! anyways.. goodnight sleep tight dont let the bed bugs bite.
We're all damned if we do, and damned if we don't. Am I right? Is it possible to consider insanity a virtue?
ReplyDeleteWho wants to be normal. Take 30 seconds out of your life, and look outside the box. If you've never done that before.. kudos. You might want to take a second look, and make sure your human first. We are predisposed to phobias and insecurities. Nope, I didn't just make that up. Thank you intro to psychology. But, you don't question science, right?
I'll make this a little bit easier on all of us and get straight to the point. Some of us, need a little madness to survive. Society has portrayed "being different" as well being different. But, I beg to differ. It's called creativity. While others may have a little to much of it. Some of us need a little more. Think about it. Perfection is non existent. Being imperfect simply makes us... wait for it....HUMAN.
Love will make us do crazy things. Is it the love that makes us do crazy things or the need for affection, and to be desired? While, I don't have the answer for it.. I have one to many experiences with that feeling. The feeling of madness. And i'm not ashamed to admit it- I crave it.
We're all insane. Well that's a pretty harsh statement. Don't ya think? This is a reblog...I'm somehow supposed to have had an intellectual revolution, thought of new ideas, and composed them into this little tiny box on my computer screen. But that just didn't happen! Pissed? Eh. Not really. I'm rather confident about my original blog of this particular matter. I just don't think everyone's insane! Now granted I could join the bandwagon of other blogs on this one,abandon my personal thoughts and scream ,"YEA! WE'RE ALL SICK IN THE HEAD!!!" But that would just make me a liar.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm confident in the fact that we're all not insane(that's just not possible...think about how awful our world would be?!) I do believed that we have all been scarred, just as in "Portrait of My Body" for a reason. Tons of things seem to happen in our lives that we just can't figure out. Loss of loved ones.Loss of friendships. Why the heck that really attractive guy in the back of your science class doesn't seem to know that you exist. If we're honest, dwelling on these things can really put a cramp in our style. Eat away at our happiness. However, what we must realize is that even though these things: circumstances. situations. people, may not be exactly as we have planned, In the end the shape us. Teach us. Mature us- into the people that we should be. Although intitially we may not be able to understand why, when we look back on our lives, we realize that each puzzle piece in the portrait was put there for a reason.
We have all been scarred by the world. The reality of this crazy universe can take a toll on us. Trying to get through everyday without going insane from the craziness and unescapable badness of the world. Things happen, awful things happen, that cannot be explained. Why do bad things happen to good people? The eternal question of our world. Stuff happens that humans cannot explain, and we can become severely scarred from these events.
ReplyDelete"Portrait of my body" is an easy excerpt for us humans to relate with. It discusses reality, the real world, and what happens when the world takes a toll on us. This is a reality, the scarred hands are a metaphor for a tough life, of someone who has seen horrible things.
On the other side of the cookie, life is rewarding. We have to live through it, these scars are our battle wounds of a life well-lived.
Scars- everyone has them. I personally have always been one that tried to hide them. I didn't want people to know that something was wrong or that something had happened in the past. I have always thought of the words insane and weird as negative connotations, but the truth is, everyone is insane and everyone is weird. There's no hiding it.
ReplyDeleteNow insanity doesn't always mean bad things in my opinion. I feel that everyone is "insane" about something. We are unique and we were created how we are for a purpose.I truly feel like I often question myself too often trying to put out the prettiest face for everyone. "Show them that smile!" That's what my momma always said. But the truth is, we are always questioning, why me? Why did it have to happen to me and not someone else?"I'm still wondering it. Why was I given the fat genes and not my brother? Why does he get to be fit?
"Portrait of my Body" is the perfect analysis of humans going through day to day struggles and how life can be hard and just plain out shitty. As Mr. Pheeny said on "Boy Meets World," 'Life's tough, get a helmet!" But life isn't all bad! We were given it as a gift and it's our job to live every day to the fullest!
I'm not insane I just have ADOS as my high school friends call it. Attention Deficit OOH SHINY! I can't help but say there is a part of everyone that is insane, but you can't exactly just walk up to someone you've never met and call them insane. There is no justification to that.
ReplyDeleteAfter blogging the first time I realize that we all have a side that isn't pretty, but it's not always insanity. You can be called insane for wanting to be a professional golfer, or to be President of the United States even though neither goal is unreachable. Insanity isn't the crazy goal that someone has or the difference in people. Personally I don't think most people have seen insanity.
Something makes every person different. The way we are raised. Our interests. Our peers. We can't choose how this happens, but we can embrace it. Humans have always been creatures of habit throughout history and even now we have habits that keep us from being random and on the edge of insanity. Structure and consistency helps keep us from becoming animals and acting solely on primal instinct. That would be insanity. Incidents in our lives leave their marks, some cut deeper than others and some just bounce off. This will make us stronger and also leave us weaker as well. What we must do is cling to life and hold to the good memories that make us want to go on. I've rambled about how people have passed on, but that just proves how we must keep going in their honor and not lose sight of ourselves. We must make our lives our "portraits" that tell our story unlike any other.
After 4 years of high school and just now finishing our first year of college, I think we all deserve to be a little insane. Crazy things have happened to us and we've done many stupid things, but the fact that we've managed to get over them and continue to be a "normal" part of society gives us the right to be "insane". Yes, I still believe there are different types of being crazy, but we all have a little of it in us. The quirks that we have made our own may seem weird to outsiders, but they make perfect sense in our heads and as long as it doesn't cause a problem to society, it should be perfectly okay. Owning our insanity and embracing it shouldn't be looked down upon (unless you really do have dual personalities or schizophrenia- that should be checked out). Seeing the world individually makes life 10x more interesting and opens up doors to things that we wouldn't have access to had we chosen to keep our crazy selves confined. That, my friends, is just no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the same lines as owning our insanity, I think we should also own the image we have of our bodies. Yes, there are also exceptions to this idea too, but for the most part we should be proud of what we look like. You don't have to look like a pageant queen everyday, but makeup and hair products and surgeries galore exist if we choose to put that much effort into our image. It may not be ok to want to alter yourself that much, but if it makes someone happy then let them do it. I also think scares aren't necessarily all that ugly either. Most of them have really awesome stories and people love telling them. These little marks make who you are too and are going to be with you forever, if not physically, then mentally. It may be in the best interest of some people to hide their defects, but it's all left up to the person they reside on. "Portrait of my body" just made me more self-aware. The picture I see may not always be pretty, but I'm just fine with that.